Todd Rundgren – Healing (1981) Review | Did Ye Get Healed?
Kronomyth 10.0: A synthesizer wizard and a true guru too.
This is probably my favorite Todd Rundgren album. The songs are uniformly excellent: catchy, clever and yet mystically profound, which is perfect for a proglodyte like me. As a DIY album that leans heavily on synthesizers, the musical palette is a bit thin. The creativity behind it, however, fills in any cracks. Rundgren crams a lot of music into songs like Healer, Flesh and Golden Goose, so that at no point do you, the listener, feel cheated. I’d say the songs are every bit as complex as what you’d find on a Utopia album, with the difference being that Todd is doing everything. The music is only part of why I like this album; the other reason is the message. Todd presents a spiritual manifesto of self-discovery on Healing that is remarkably cogent. No fake hippie mysticism here, Rundgren is the very essence of clarity and calmness. Healing Parts 1-3 present a journey into the self that is the closest thing to musical therapy I’ve experienced. Even with such a lofty goal in mind, Rundgren still hits all the familiar haunts that his fans have come to enjoy: the big ballads (Compassion), carnival rides (“Golden Goose”) and torch songs (Flesh). The only thing missing here is the hard rockin’ number, but it would have felt out of place on such a peaceful album. I understand that not everyone is looking to Todd Rundgren for life’s answers, in which case you might this all a bit preachy. To them, I would say “don’t fear it, hear it.” The music alone is worth the journey, and if it changes your perspective along the way, take wisdom where you find it.
The Product
A1. Healer (3:40)
A2. Pulse (3:07)
A3. Flesh (3:58)
A4. Golden Goose (3:16)
A5. Compassion (4:43)
A6. Shine (8:12)
B1. Healing Part I (7:28)
B2. Healing Part II (7:52)
B3. Healing Part III (4:40)
Free 7-inch single
A1. Time Heals (3:33)
B1. Tiny Demons (3:08)
All songs written by Todd Rundgren.
The Players
Todd Rundgren (singing, playing). Produced & engineered by Todd Rundgren; additional engineering by Bean.
The Pictures
Artwork by Prairie Prince.
The Plastic
Released on elpee and cassette in February 1981 in the US (Bearsville, BHS/W5 3522), the UK (Island, ILPS 9657), Australia (Bearsville, L 37547), Canada (Bearsville, XBR 3522), Germany and the Netherlands (Bearsville, 203 352 320) and Japan (Bearsville, 26AP-2021) with bonus 7-inch single. Reached #48 on the US charts.
- Re-issued on remastered elpee and compact disc in 1987 in the US (Rhino, RNLP/RNCD 70874).
- Re-issued on remastered compact disc on May 17, 1999 in the UK (Essential, ESMCD 705).
- Re-packaged w. Hermit of Mink Hollow + The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect on 2CD in 2012 in the EU (Edsel, EDSD 2126).
- Re-issued on clear vinyl elpee in 2021 in Canada w. bonus 7-inch single [for Record Store Day].
